Happy 4th of July...

...from our family to yours!

Hope your day is filled with family, friends, fun and celebration!

A Circle

My mom and dad babysat the kids for us last night so we could go eat dinner with some dear friends of ours. They took the kids out to dinner to eat at a local Mexican place and today I received this email from my mom. I couldn't resist sharing it with you:

When we went to eat Mexican, we were very busy at the beginning of the meal....getting out Emma's placemat, putting the dolls on the table to look at, making sure Ben was able to reach the table, moving the silverware making sure no knives were available to little hands. The waiter came, brought chips and drinks and cheese dip.

Out of nowhere, Ben's little voice said, "Nana, let's make a circle." He said it so low, I got up out of my chair and went around the table where he was seated by Papa and said, "I couldn't hear you, honey. What did you say?" Still in his quiet voice, he said, "Let's make a circle." I was wondering what kind of circle he was talking about, when all of a sudden I realized he wanted us to join hands and say grace. We all joined hands and said the blessing. I asked Benjamin, "Is that what you meant?" He nodded his head and said, "Yeah."

What a sweet boy reminding us to thank God first.

So at the urging of my son, I'm thanking Him today...

...for the toys all over my living room floor - and the little hands that put them there.

...for the little girl who loves to grin at her daddy.

...for my mom's retirement dinner on Saturday night -well done Mom!

...for mine and Kenneth's laughter as we chased each other around the house today - much to the delight of the little ones :)

...for a new friend who nursed her handicapped son this weekend with love and devotion.

...for Grandmommy's sneaky surprise today - thanks Linda!


"...Let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe." Hebrews 12:28b

Refocus

I'm aware that it has been awhile since I've posted.

And I have lots to post about (the remaining birthday stories, Easter, Benjamin's first soccer game, our fabulous parents-only getaway just last week!).

However, life has gotten in the way.

In the midst of all of these wonderful celebrations and the glorious emergence of Spring (oh, how I LOVE warm weather!), I've been really busy.

REALLY BUSY.

I've been working on a big project for Chick-fil-A and I also agreed to help our pastor's wife edit and design a set of Bible study materials - a job that was WAY bigger than I expected.

Plus, there's two little people and one big person that live with me that seem to need food and clean clothes and a whole assortment of other stuff done on a daily basis.

And my husband will tell you that I'm not one to handle stress well. Never have been. And it seems that the more stressed and anxious that I am, the less I am able to be joyful. I get less sleep. I'm crabby and short-tempered. Little things - things that are normally an easy part of my day - become huge, overwhelming tasks that never seem to get done.

The dishes are piled in the sink. Dust is everywhere. The clean clothes are folded, but have been sitting on the couch for two days.

But the kids? They are sleeping soundly in their beds after an evening of playing in the park and running (yes, Emma is RUNNING!) their little hearts out across the huge field that leads to the playground.

Instead of taking them to the park I could have put the clothes away. But you know what? I'm learning a bit about perfectionism. My kids don't need our house to be perfect. They just need it to be a safe, happy place. They don't need Mommy to be perfect, they just need Mommy to give them love and attention. God doesn't ask me to be perfect, He just asks me to praise.

So I'll praise Him today.

I'll praise Him for how precious my little girl looks in her summer dresses.

For a husband who works long, long hours being a student and teaching them - all to provide for his family.

For a little boy who hurt his knee on Saturday at his soccer game, but is no longer limping.

For my sister who invited the kids and I to come visit her this summer in New Orleans so that Daddy can have the house to himself to study for a few days with peace and quiet :)

I'll thank Him for the clothes I have to wash.

I'll thank Him for the food that we ate that has to be cleaned off the dishes.

And for my son's boundless energy and the challenge to channel that into all the right places.

For my daughter's determination and the fact that she is GREAT sleeper :)

What are you praising Him for today? Please share - I'd love to be encouraged!



(This post is linked to Finer Things Friday.)

The Passing of Time

My emotions have been a bit raw this week.

My baby has turned into a boy.

And only another mother can understand the joy/grief that this passing of time brings.

Go read this mother's exquisite words.

And if you are a mom, grab a tissue first.

Somehow...

Somehow, in a blink of an eye, this little guy...

grew up a little...

And then a little more...

And then a little more...

And just keeps on growing! How can we get him to stop? :)

He's now officially a little boy.

Not a baby.

Not a toddler.

A LITTLE BOY.

Tonight when we said our prayers together as I was tucking him in, I began to thank God for his life and had to work really hard to hide my tears from Benjamin.

I'm overwhelmed that God would choose me to be a parent, and even more overwhelmed that He would choose me to be his parent.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie. We love you more than words can say.

(pictures above: 3 days old, 1st birthday, 2nd birthday, and 3rd birthday)

These boots were made for walkin'...

Last week on her 13-month birthday, Emma Claire decided to let go of the walls and furniture that she's been cruising around on and take a few steps. I managed to capture her second attempt on video:

Since then, she's been gaining courage and adding steps daily. Just this morning she walked 15 steps across the living room! It is so funny to watch because she giggles so much when she is walking, sometimes her laughter throws her off balance.

Such a treat to watch this little angel grow up!

Chica Bonita

As the time approached to plan Emma Claire's birthday party, I realized several things. First of all, February = FREEZING cold weather = not as many fun options for a birthday party extravaganza. So, we decided not to stress about it and just have a low-key affair at the local Mexican restaurant with presents and cake at our house afterward.

Second realization? Even the most relaxed plans might have to be even more relaxed. My mom came down with a nasty cold/sinus infection the day before the party, and since I couldn't imagine Emma Claire diving in to her very first cake ever without Nana there to witness the momentous occasion, we postponed the party until she was feeling better.

And of course, since everyone we invited was available to attend the first party, no one except the grandparents could attend the re-scheduled one. But, that's okay - we had fun anyway! We decided since it was a small group and FREEZING cold outside (did I mention that already?) that we would just stay at the restaurant for cake and presents and we all had a great time!

Benjamin and Emma Claire's cousin Luke came along with Grandmommy and Grandaddy and he and Ben had a great time making each other laugh all night.

And as you can see in the picture below, my mom is a very smart lady. She brought those little cars for the boys to play with while we waited on our food - Genius!

Here's Emma Claire's PINK cake:

She was not very excited about it at first. Maybe she didn't like the texture? Or like a true Southern lady, doesn't like to be messy?

Then finally she started to get the hang of it...

And, success!

YUM!

I'm not sure the picture does it justice, but this is a beautiful hand-made quilt that my sister made and sent her little neice all the way from New Orleans. Gorgeous!

And some cute clothes and a goody bag of fun gifts from my mom...

Kenneth's parents are going to contribute to a combo sand/water table that we are going to get for the kids to use outside once the weather warms up.

Thanks for loving your sweet granddaughter so much! She has great grandparents!